The scope is more staggering than folks seem to be aware. But main stream America is starting to get the picture.

As part of our prenatal history taking we ask questions that are supposed to identify social needs in the household of the pregnant lady who is starting her pregnancy care. I will give one example, and it is not isolated.

This young woman was 20. She already has two kids. She is now pregnant with her third. She lives at home with an adult borother (21), her mother (42) her uncle (45) and her grandmother (60).

This made 7 individuals in the house. Two of them young children, and the other 5 are adults. None of the adults worked at all. NONE OF THEM! Her brother at least was not on the dole. He was merely unemployed after dropping out of high school and not the best of job applicants I suppose. The mother was "disabled" with her "nerves". Her uncle was "disabled" with his "back problems". Her Grandma was "disabled" with her morbid obesity, insulin dependant diabetes and Hypertension.

While we can all say we want to help those who simply through misfortune (accidents, REAL medical issues, etc...) cannot take care of themselves, we have so far gone past that tipping point it is ridiculous.

Hey it's not just anecdotes! It is pervasive throughout the culture that has steadily grown in our country.

Just as an aside, I happend to ask this young mother to be where was "baby's daddy"? She said he violated his probation so he would be in prison for at least the next 6 months. ........ Yikes! ......

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Old Chinese Proverb

"The Fourth Generation loses the Fortune"

A brilliant young energetic man pondered and dreamed. He came upon an idea that was needed and desired by those in his community and country. He built a vast fortune over his adult lifetime because of his hard work and intuitive nature. He was the First Generation. He had one son.

His son grew up knowing how hard it was and how many hours his father spent growing and maintaining his business. But not being as inventive and intuitive as his father he followed in his footsteps, but could only maintain what his father had built. He had a great appreciation for what his father had done and applied himself diligently to he family business. He was the Second Generation. He had one son.

His son grew up with all the nice things his Grandfather's business could provide. He saw his dad go to work each day and come home to a happy home and live a life of relative ease. He never knew his dad to stay late at work and he always had others doing things for him at work and at home. From his perspective, his dad had a life of great enjoyment and little real work. He did not really appreciate all the work his father had done when he was a little boy, and as he got older had no real understanding of how the business and family fortune came about. He knew he would one day step into his father's shoes and live a life of ease as well. He never worked a days work in the business except when his father grew older and his grandfather had been laid to rest many years before. As he stepped in to take the reins of the business things had already begun to falter and the business stumble. Knowing little of what made things work, he relied on those around him to call the shots and things continued to slide year after year. He was the third Generation. He had one son.

His son grew up completely ingnorant of his great grandfather. All he knew was that his father was little respected by those at his business. He heard the whispers of how things were going and how the business was failing. He had never seen his father work and could only see how he was using the business to his own ends. Yes, using it even as it seemed to be losing ground to other businesses in town to fund his every whim for as long as possible. Eventually, due to his excesses his father died an early and untimely death, leaving the business, such as it was to his son. The fourth Generation. In desperation to have any portion of a fortune, he sold off the business piece by piece until nothing of what his great grandfather had built remained. He had one son.

This young boy heard stories of generations gone by and great wealth with many beautiful things in his family's past. The ladies who surrounded him in the opium den stroked his father's hair and told him maybe one day he would return his family to such grandeur. The young boy ate his gruel and really had no idea what lie in ruins from the splendor of generations gone by.

....................................................................

We are at the fourth Generation of Welfare consequences. Those entering the "system" now have no appreciation whatsoever of what this generosity of 50 years ago was meant to be for, or accomplish within our American Culture. It has been bastardized into a form that would have been unrecongnizable in 1968.

Wooly................... who knows that there are way more folks in the wagon than those who are pulling the wagon. We are past the tipping point, and I see no clear avenue of return. Sad, but true.

Announcements

Foolanthropy 2014!
By working with young, first-time moms, Nurse-Family Partnership is able to truly change lives – for generations to come.

When Life Gives You Lemons
We all have had hardships and made poor decisions. The important thing is how we respond and grow. Read the story of a Fool who started from nothing, and looks to gain everything.

Work for Fools?
Winner of the Washingtonian great places to work, and Glassdoor #1 Company to Work For 2015! Have access to all of TMF's online and email products for FREE, and be paid for your contributions to TMF! Click the link and start your Fool career.